It was a tad bit nippy for a jaunt in Denver on Saturday, but it being for a good cause made it a touch more bearable.

The heat was cranked up inside the McNichols Civic Center Building as Denverites were scantily clad in underwear, bathrobes, superhero costumes and tutus to raise money for Cupid’s Charity, a non-profit organization based in Denver that supports research to help find a cure for neurofibromatosis, a rare genetic disorder causing tumors to grow anywhere on or in the body.

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Cupid’s Undie Run is described as a “brief” fun run, and they mean brief. The running portion of the event only lasted 15 minutes, or about a mile, which was for the better because most of the people at the gathering didn’t consider themselves avid runners but still wanted to support a good cause.

Attendees consumed adult beverages in the early afternoon — one man referred to it as “liquid courage” to help him strip for the cause — while mingling, dancing, and bouncing on a hoppy ball painted as a unicorn. Feathers, glitter, nude leotards, gold spandex and face-paint all made an appearance at the affair.

The fun run did bring out a few people ready to be athletic, though. Chelsie Frisby and friends came out in matching tank tops and said they have a certain number of races they try to run per year, this was their first time partaking in the undie run, however.

Kathryn Scott, The Denver Post

Hundreds of underwear-clad runners made their way downtown and around Civic Center Park in the Cupid’s Undie Run all to raise money for a good cause.

The cause struck a chord with runner Rhiannon Layer, who said she has a cousin with neurofibromatosis, or “NF” for short. She ran with her friend, Deirdre Kinkel and said they often do novelty 5K’s and half marathons.

It wasn’t easy for everyone to be surrounded by hundreds of people while half-naked. Gary Spets was on the fence about the run after seeing the event on Facebook, but when he was encouraged by friends he gave in and stripped down.

“Alcohol helps a lot,” he said as he gawked at the different outfits consisting of more than just underwear, adding that the range of outfits surprised him. And though it was a bit brisk Saturday, he said the cold didn’t worry him since the sun was out, albeit not producing much heat.

While a majority used alcohol to feel warm, Asha Sulima counted on her adrenaline. She said she was mostly excited for the taboo aspect of the bash — to run around outside in her underwear, something she admittedly doesn’t do on a daily basis.

This year marks the seventh time the city of Denver has participated in the national event. Last year Denver raised more than $88,000 and saw more than 795 runners take to its streets, according to a news release. This year’s run has raised more than $125,000 so far. Donations are accepted until March 4.

“NF is relatively common, occurring once in every three thousand people, but those who are impacted by NF didn’t have the support of a large national fundraiser,” said Brendan Hanrahan, co-founder of Cupid’s Undie Run. “Over the years, Cupid’s Undie Run has filled that void and is probably the most fun you could have at a charity event.”

Crews are feverishly working on snow removal on Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, racing to open the popular, well-traveled, sight-seeing highway by Friday, in time for Memorial Day weekend traffic.